The Mexican Senate has recognized as genocide the Khojaly massacre committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis during the Karabakh war in 1992.

Armenian armed forces on February 25-26, 1992 attacked Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly, a town located in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno Karabakh region. As a result of their actions, which were recognized by the international community as genocide, hundreds of people were killed merely because of their ethnic background, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Tuesday with reference to the Mexican Senate’s decision.

613 people were brutally killed in the attack, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly. 1,275 were taken captives, while 487 became handicapped and 190 went missing.

The Mexican legislature called for a return of the Azerbaijanis displaced during the 1990s war with Armenia to their homes in the territories which have since been under Armenian occupation. The IDPs and refugees’ return, it said, is to comply with the process of settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and with the gist of the Madrid principles, a peace outline proposed by OSCE mediators.

French-Armenian World-famous singer and song-writer Charles Aznavur has proposed replacing the term “Genocide” with another word. According to the Turkish media, the singer addressd the Armenia-Turkey raprrochement process on Sunday, while speaking during a popular TV broadcast on a French channel. “The word genocide is bothering me,” he said. “You should find another word to ask for a dialogue with the Turks”.

Aznavur, who now serves as Armenia’s ambassador to Switzerland, is said to have expressed a positive opinion about Turkey and the Turkish nation: “I see the dream to visit Turkey. I was told because the Turks are very different, good people. There is nice weather, nice food,” the singer was quoted as saying.

His statement has reportedly stirred up anger among Armenians worldwide, with many accused the singer of denialism and betrayal. “Some Armenians have sent letters to Armenian organizations in France, calling for criticism against Charles Aznavour. Yet, there are many others who support Aznavur,” the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported. According to the Turkish Milliyet, Armenians from different world countries have asked the Armenian organizations in France to criticize the singer.

The death toll from the attacks has reached at least 92; seven in the Oslo bombing and 85 in the massacre on the island of Utøya.

• A Norwegian man named as Anders Behring Breivik has been charged under the country’s anti-terror legislation.
• Police have confirmed that an unexploded device was found on the island.
• A man has been arrested for carrying a knife outside a hotel where Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg was meeting families of the Utøya victims.